


The Promised Future

by Morrie_Wilde



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Cute, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Love, M/M, Magic, One Shot, Original Character(s), Prophecy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-29
Updated: 2020-03-29
Packaged: 2021-02-28 19:01:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,210
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23382010
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Morrie_Wilde/pseuds/Morrie_Wilde
Summary: A sorceress comes to Camelot, hoping to enchant her way to the throne and bring back magic into Camelot. But no matter how hard she tries, Arthur doesn't seem to fall under her love spells. A heart already taken can not be enchanted it seems.
Relationships: Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Comments: 16
Kudos: 416





	The Promised Future

The sorceress added the last ingredient into the mixture simmering before her and contemplated the result. Now, she only had to get Arthur to drink it and the throne would finally be hers. It was not much the power she envied, but justice for her people. She wished to re-introduce the use of magic in the kingdom and give a fair tribute to all the ones the Purge had taken away too soon. She new that marrying Uther would be too suspicious, especially if the man himself lifted the ban, so instead, she planned to steal his son's heart and after the king’s passing, she would start the changes. Granted, it wasn’t the most evil plan anyone could come up with, but it had the smoothness required to be plausible, and not raise any suspicions. 

She placed the little glass bottle into her leather bag, mounted her horse and started a week long journey through the valleys of the kingdom. 

_______

Arthur groaned when the sunlight entered his chambers, as his loyal servant joyfully bounced around the room, placing the breakfast on the table and taking out his outfit for the training.   
“Merlin! Could you just...slow down.” He buried his face in the pillow, definitely in a bad mood. 

“Can’t Sire. You have training with the knights, lunch with your father, a council meeting, and you need to welcome Lady Essyllt.” Merlin's voice was cocky, always happy to give a list of task to do to his Prince. 

“Fine.” Pouting, the king's son finally got out of bed, not without mumbling something about no wanting to. He sat down at his table and chewed on his bread like it was a chore. Merlin rolled his eyes and got on with his task, such as changing the royal sheets. 

“Who's that lady again ?” It’s not that Arthur didn’t take his duties seriously, but with the amount of nobles passing through Camelot, he had some trouble remembering who was who. 

“Lady Essyllt.” Repeated Merlin, engaged in a fight with a royal pillowcase – and loosing. Arthur smiled at the view, not that he would ever admit it. 

“No, I know that. But from which kingdom?” Merlin, who had won his battle with the inanimate piece if fabric, turned back to the blond, deep in thought. His hands now rested on his hips, he pressed his lips together. Arthur agitated a piece of cheese, showing he was still waiting for his servant to carry on. 

“I don't...remember" and the dark haired man just jolted his shoulders before brushing off the subject with a hand gesture.

“Lucky for me, the fate of Camelot doesn’t rest upon your shoulders Merlin.” Even if tried to sound annoyed, his grin betrayed him. The manservant smiled from ear to ear at the remark before snatching an apple from the royal platter. His action was met by an overly dramatic shocked face from the Prince, which only made Merlin chuckle, mouth full. Truth being, Arthur didn’t mind that the man was helping himself to his food. It brought him the knowledge that his servant was actually feeding himself, despise being just bones and skin. And there had been time were he had been worried for Merlin who seemed too dedicated to his duties to even care for himself properly. He would never say it out loud, but Merlin was the best manservant he ever had, clumsiness, sassiness and all. 

_______

They went on their days as usual. The training had been great, the knights getting better and better. The lunch with Uther had been courteous and no argument took place that day. The council meeting had been boring, even though necessary. Merlin had polished every piece of armour, sharpened the swords, mucked the horses and exercised the dogs. 

The afternoon was coming to an end when they stood on the stairs, expecting their guest. 

The woman arrived, alone. It was not a rare occurrence for guests to travel on their own but a Lady, without even a servant, it might have been a first for the hosts. Merlin strolled towards her, helping her off her horses and carried her bag. She joined the king and bowed to him, thanking him for the hospitality, before turning to the Prince, offering him the same display of respect.

“It's a pleasure to meet you both.” 

Arthur grabbed her hand and gave it a chaste kiss, making sure his lips were not making contact with her slightly tanned skin. He then ordered Merlin to show her to her chambers, which the man did. He was suspicious of lady Essyllt but couldn’t put his finger on the thing that was troubling him. 

By the evening, everything was ready for her stay and they all gathered for dinner. Lady Essyllt brought some wine as a gift and it was happily served at the table. Accepting a beverage from someone you barely knew, at the royal table, without getting it tasted seemed to be bad idea but people never learn from their mistake apparently. Uther, as usual, denied the wine. It was well known he was never drinking when hosting guests, except during banquets, as he liked to keep a clear eye over the table. Lady Essyllt declined the beverage as well, pretexting to be to tired to handle her grapes. Not bothered by it, Arthur gladly drank the jug by himself, knowing he could not go through this dinner being sober anyway. He hated the posh atmosphere of those evenings, the hypocrisy of both parties and the constant bootlicking. It might have been the wine doing its work or his total lack of interested, but as he was downing the beverage, he never saw the smirk growing on Lady Essyllt’s face. 

_______

The next morning, Arthur felt strangely alright considering how much he drank. He stood up at the sounds of knocks on his door. His eyes met Merlin's, who was standing in the middle of the room, equally confused. The servant finally opened to end up face to face with with Lady Essyllt, wearing a bright smile. 

“May I please have a private conversation with my lord?”. 

Arthur, not quite sure what was going on, gestured to Merlin to leave them alone. Now out of bed and still in his night clothes, he invited the lady to grab a sit at the table, breakfast already set. He had to say, he was quite impressed with Merlin, who seemed to be a perfect servant in the last days, much to his surprise. 

“I just wanted to say, I had a lovely evening with you and I hoped you might care to join me for a walk later?” her voice was overly sweet and soft and Arthur tried his best to hide his discomfort. He never appreciated having women flirting with him, mostly because he knew they were more than likely doing so for his title. He carried on eating his strawberries, quite touched that Merlin remembered to get him some as the season started, and it was his favourite fruit to nibble on in the morning. 

“It would have been with great pleasure my Lady, but I’m afraid I gave you the wrong impression yesterday evening.” Turning down what could have been future wives was becoming way too easy for him, and he wondered if he would ever find the one. But none of the women he had met over the years, no matter their charms, had ever found the way to his heart. As the juice of one of the berry felt on his tunic, he mentally apologised to Merlin. 

The lady slightly frowned but kept her composure. She had never failed a potion before yet the Prince was clearly not interested in her person. She apologised for her manners and exited the room, already mentally gathering the ingredients for a next elixir. 

Arthur sighed, but quickly forgot the incident. Merlin came back in the chambers not long after, probably waiting in the corridor for the Lady to leave. Two step in, and the manservant crossed his arms, judging. Arthur’s gaze followed Merlin's, meeting the bright red stain on his white shirt. 

“I leave you alone two minutes, and you forget how to eat.” He walked towards the blond while undoing his neckerchief. He dipped the tip of the blue fabric in the goblet of water and tried to clean the mess. Arthur could feel the warmth of the man's breath on his chest, and his whole body reacted, sending electric-like waves to all his limbs. The messy dark hair smelled like the forest, fresh linen and something typically Merlin that he could not describe, and he lost himself in the scent. Merlin was focused, the tip of his tongue trapped between his lips, gently wiping off the strawberry remains. 

The Prince didn't know how long they stayed like that before he softly tilted Merlin's chin up. The manservant did not rebelled, longing on the cold trail the royal silver ring left on his jaw. 

As quick as the moment arrived, it left, disturbed by an other knock on the door. 

“Sire, the King requires your presence.” 

Arthur cleared his throat and told the guard he would be here presently. 

_______

Down in her chambers, the sorceress was polishing a silver brooch shaped like a dragon with cardamom and bay laurel. Her voice echoed in the room as she chanted the words of an old forgotten language. The jewellery sparkled, before coming back to normal. This love spell was stronger than the potion so it was set to work.   
_______

Arthur entered Gaius’ chambers and wished a good day to the physician who was on his way to help a farmer who had injured himself downtown. More by curiosity than interest, he glanced around the room while walking towards the small room in the back. He knocked but got no answer. It didn’t know where to look anymore : he went to the stable, the kitchen, the servants' quarters but Merlin was nowhere to be found. He sighed. Of course, the Prince had told him he could get the rest of the morning off as nothing important was scheduled but his father just informed him that he had to show the citadel to their guest and he wished Merlin could have joined them. 

Lonely and brooding, he spent the next hours walking around, listening to the constant babbling of lady Essyllt. She had gave him a brooch as they were leaving the castle and Uther’s glare had forced him to accept the gift. He reluctantly thanked the woman who attached the small dragon above his heart. 

When the sun was up high in the sky, he offered to go back to the castle. On their way back, the Lady was now silent, and Arthur was glad for it. Smiling, Merlin welcomed them, proudly showing off a dead rabbit in his right hand. The Prince raised an eyebrow, knowing that his manservant hated hunting. 

“I was gathering herbs, and the poor thing was dead. I thought about giving it a proper burial you know” and Arthur chuckled “, but then, I remembered it was your favourite so I brought it back. I’ll ask the kitchen to prepare it for you now.” And the young man left, tripping on his own feet while going up the stairs. The voice of Essyllt pulled him back into reality. 

“I hope to join you for lunch then.” As she talked, she leaned to kiss the Prince's cheek. 

“My Lady, I am afraid I’ll eat with the council today. I will ask the kitchen to bring your plate to your chambers if you wish.” 

She grabbed the bottom her dressed and stormed off. 

______

Arthur sat down in his chamber. He had lied, and he was not feeling guilty about it. Hopefully, lady Essyllt would be gone in a few days, becoming an other broken hearted woman leaving Camelot. Merlin walked in, a tray in hand. He placed the stew on the table and poured a cup of wine. The Prince took a quick look at his manservant, before asking for an other portion, stating going for a walk in the morning had left him starving. With a mumbled comment about the royal waistline, Merlin went back to the kitchen. He heard Arthur dropping his spoon and made a mental note to bring a new one as well. When he came back, Arthur invited him to grab a sit and eat with him. 

“You could just ask me to join you, you know ? No need to lie about starving to death or dropping your spoon intentionally.” 

“But I wouldn't have the pleasure to bother you now, would I?” They both laughed. Arthur loved spending time with his manservant, as he seemed to be the only one not caring about his rank and daring to talk back to him. They ate, chattering about nothing and everything. 

Once the plates were empty, Merlin stood up, knowing it was the sign to go back to work. As he approached the other side of the table and reached for the other plate, a hand grabbed his wrist. Arthur was now standing in front of him, the grip of his finger releasing his man servant. Staring at each other, both lost in the blue of each other's eyes, all breathing stopped. Arthur cleared his throat, which had become suddenly dry. Merlin slightly licked his lips and the blond gave up. Hungry, he pulled Merlin in a kiss, his hand lost in the mass of dark hair. A deep moan escaped the manservant mouth, and Arthur promised himself to wake up every morning to this sound. Merlin stumbled and half of his body fell on the table. The Prince snatched the neckerchief standing on his way and without any care, threw it behind him. With a ravenous smile, he started to kiss the pale jaw, slowly, too slowly, making his way down to the even paler collarbone. 

Merlin, loosing control of his body, knocked the goblet of water with his elbow. The Prince glanced at it, and still devouring Merlin's neck, drew his sword and cleared the table in one swipe, filling up the room with a deafening cacophony. He dropped his weapon on the stone floor and helped Merlin properly on the now slightly damp wood. The manservant locked his legs around the Prince’s hips, his hands discovering the royal back under the tunic. The warning bell rang through the castle and rushed them back to the present, flustered. 

Arthur sighed and picked up his sword from the floor, and with a shy last look to Merlin, he ran out of his chambers. On the table, the manservant, who was feeling too self aware of his current state, blushed, from head to toe, before hopping off the furniture. He loosely passed his hand in his hair, before inhaling deeply. He contemplated the mess remaining on the floor. Slightly loosing his balance, he bent to grab his neckerchief and tied it back, glad to have something to hide the remains of Arthur’s actions now proudly purple on his skin.

_______

Arthur stormed in the throne room, asking his father what everything was about. Before he could get an answer, two guards entered, Lady Essyllt between them. The Prince looked back at the king, confused.

“Lady Essyllt has been seen practicing magic in her chambers. The maid came straight away to inform me but the sorceress had flee the scene already.” The king turned to the guards. “Thank you for bringing her back. She is to be executed at dawn.” The guards bowed and dragged the woman to the dungeon. 

_______

Arthur went back to his chambers, still under shock. He had spent some time alone with the Lady but she didn’t try, at all, to kill him. Merlin was kneeled on the cold floor, brush in hand, trying to clean all the mess the dirty plates had made. 

“Can you believe it Merlin? Lady Essyllt is to be executed. She is a sorceress apparently...” Arthur’s voice was uncertain, tainted with ... doubt? 

And it finally clicked. This is why Merlin had been suspicious of the Lady. He never sensed strong power around her, nor black magic but there was definitely something. Pretexting to have to go muck the horses, Merlin excused himself from the royal chambers, abandoning the brush and bucket of water in the middle of the room. Two by two, he ran down the stairs leading to the dungeons. The guards didn’t even try to stop him, and he thought he had to talk to Arthur about those clear security issues. Now standing in front the cell, he leaned towards the bars and whispered. 

“Lady Essyllt. You are about to be burn on the pyre tomorrow, and as the manservant of the future king, I demand an explication for your actions.” 

She stood up from the corner where she was curled up and strolled towards the warlock. Her eyes seemed to scan every inch of his being, and she frowned. 

“Who would have thought ? Such a powerful sorcerer hiding in the royal household...” She sighed, angry at herself for not noticing it before. She might have had an ally, and her plans might have worked. Under the burning gaze of Merlin, she took a deep breath, feeling she owed him an explanation. 

“I...I made Arthur drink a love potion but it didn’t work. I then offered him an enchanted brooch but it had no effect at all. And well, when the maid walked in my chambers, I was casting a spell on a pouch I was planning to place in his chambers...” 

“But why ?” 

“By marrying Arthur, I would have brought back the old religion, once the King would have passed away. I believe that Arthur has a heart pure enough to welcome back magic in the land again. But none of my spells worked. They say that only the truest love of them all is immune to even the most powerful enchantment. I guess I was foolish enough to believe Arthur could not possess such feelings.” 

She was now looking at the floor, defeated. She never thought of herself as the best sorceress but to have failed so immensely and quickly brought her shame.   
Merlin glanced over his shoulder before his eyes flashed gold. The lock on the cell fell to the floor, bouncing twice. 

“Now listen to me. You will leave and never come back to Camelot. And yes, one day Arthur will be king, the greatest one this land has ever known,” he couldn’t hide the bright smile appearing on his face, “ but this is my destiny. Not yours. Tell your people to be patient. Albion will rise, I promise.” He moved out of the way and let her step out of her jail. 

“You are the one, isn’t it?” it was less of a question than a fact. And Essyllt knew that if the love in Arthur's heart was for this man, then Albion was not a legend anymore, but a promised future. She might have failed but the results were there. The Lady was now the one bowing to a servant, as she walked away, to never be seen again.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed this really cute Merthur! I'm not gonna lie, my heart is melting for Merlin and his rabbit. I might right a fic where he does give a rabbit a proper burial to be honest! The thought of it is making me chuckle ! 
> 
> And as usual : Thanks to my beta, Underthisrain! She did say that she really wanted a sequel but I am not planning on one, so if one of you is up for it, be my guest ! :D 
> 
> See you next time!


End file.
